Task 2b: Reflective Writing - Journal Writing Experience

As I have been struggling in regards to writing my journal I thought that perhaps if I find a style of writing I am inherently drawn towards first, I may find the process less daunting overall.  I remember from back in my school days that comparisons have to be based on fair experiments, so to make this a valid comparison I should record the same day in each different writing style to find the winner.  This is what I found:

Descriptive:

I really enjoyed writing descriptively, perhaps a little too much.  I found that I almost began to evolve what had actually happened in the day into my version of happy events, almost making a fairy tale of how I would have liked my day to have gone.  I am not sure that this will therefore be the optimum writing style for me as I may not have anything to learn from if I look back and read that everything in my day went swimmingly! 

Initial Reflection:

I found this style of reflection interesting and found it highlighted that sometimes I can have quite a negative reaction to unexpected situations within a class, as I find it irritating that there is a disruption to the flow of the lesson and wasted lesson time.  This technique is one that I can see myself incorporating within my journal writing, especially when there is an unexpected situation, so I can see how my moods and reactions affect the lesson and hopefully I will learn to suppress my initial negative thoughts before I know the whole story.

List:

I have always enjoyed making lists as I love the satisfied feeling of being able to check things off.  When it came to making a journal entry in this style however, I found it rather difficult to get along with.  Instead I tried a spider diagram list hybrid approach which worked much better as I was able to connect points together but still keep to the main points of the day.  I appreciated the way in which I could see the direct connection between an event and the mood/feeling that emerged  (child crying - stress!). This is most definitely a style in which I will continue to write and I feel I will learn a lot about my work by reflecting in this way. 

Evaluation:

I have to say that for me this is really a critical part of all my journal entries anyway as I feel not evaluating each day would be like writing a story with a beginning, middle and then no end…it is futile and frustrating.  So for me this will be used as part of a combined effort along with the other styles I will be using in future.  

Graphs, charts and diagrams:

My day in a Pie Chart:

Although I have never been a huge a fan of maths (currently re-sitting GCSE maths for my PGCE), I REALLY enjoyed this task! It was a fun way of looking at the way in which I spent my day and almost gave me some validation of the amount of work I actually do it a day, especially when people say how easy it is being a dance teacher! Going forward, I will continue to use this method in my journals as I feel it brings some light relief and fun to to journal writing experience. 

What If?:

I have almost lived my life by this motto, especially when an audition or other opportunity arose, for example, what if I don't seize that opportunity right now, will i look back and regret it.  This has led me to some amazing places and offered some fantastic opportunities.  I personally feel that this is a great method when considering future options, however as a form of journal writing I am not a huge fan.  I found I could only reflect on the negatives and not find many positives to balance it out.  I am not likely to carry on using this style in the future. 

Another View:

I found this style interesting and very helpful as it was like looking at myself through another persons eyes.  For example, when dealing with a child who was upset because they are not ready to take an exam they were hoping to take, I was able to feel more empathy towards the situation.  This is probably the most helpful style of reflection for me, especially as when I am teaching, I am on show to many different people and being able to clearly visualise and reflect on how past conversations may have been viewed, it will help me to further build positive relationships with colleagues, students and parents.  

Overall:

Rather than using one particular style, I will be using a multitude of styles depending on the events of the day I am reflecting on.  If there was an interpersonal situation then I would most likely use 'another view' whereas if I had a particularly busy day I may use a spider diagram to get down the most important events quickly.  I am very much looking forward to seeing where my new found journal writing skills take me and how they develop during the next tasks.